Please enjoy our newsletter for October 2016.
Beyond the Green Doors
The newsletter of the
Peterborough United Methodist Church
43 Concord Street, Peterborough, NH
October 2016
STRAIGHT TALK WITH PASTOR LENA
Dear Friends,
Don’t you just love waiting? Waiting at the doctor’s office when he/she is running late? Waiting in line at the market? Waiting behind the school bus after its 5th stop along the same stretch of road? Waiting for your ride to finally appear? Waiting to receive news that a loved one is safe? Waiting for a long-sought answer to prayer? Waiting!
When we are in the midst of chaotic situations, and nerve numbing circumstances it seems that it takes inhuman strength to wait. And yet, while we are waiting, God is working. Romans 5:3-5 reads:
“We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles,
because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us,
and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue,
keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.
In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged.
Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything
God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!” (MSG)
I’ll be the first person to admit that developing “passionate patience” is not exactly what I have in mind when I have received word of yet another crisis within a short time span. I, like others, find that when multiple things are thrown at me, it is all I can do to breathe. And yet I do. We do. We breathe. We pray. We hope. We trust. We believe.
There are many who are in the waiting room of unanswered prayers – prayers that we have said to the point that our breath itself gives voice to the prayer of our hearts. But the Holy Scriptures promise us throughout this long, uncomfortable, fearful, anxious time of waiting, God has been working! He has been forging us into tempered steel, enduring things we never thought possible, longer than we thought possible. God is developing within us “passionate patience,” a patience that is not laborious with anxiety, but enthusiastic with expectancy as it keeps watchful for what He is about to do next! Hope! Faith! Trust! And at the same time He is working in us, He is also working to generously pour so many blessings and answers to prayer on our lives and the lives of those for whom we have been praying, that our “cups runneth over.” God is So GOOD!
So the next time you find yourself waiting, remember that Good Things are about to happen! Amen!
Counting my blessings,
Pastor Lena
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Sun 2 World Communion Sun 10a
Tue 4 UMW Meeting 7p
Thu 6 HymnSing at Rivermead 11a
Sun 9 Native American Sun 10a
Sat 15 Peak Into Peterborough
Tue 18 Ad Council Meeting 6:30p
Fri 21 Open Mic Night 7p
Tue 25 Prayer Shawl Ministry 1p
Wed 26 Newsletter due
Wed 26 PUMC Book Group 7p
Sat 29 Men’s Breakfast 7:30a
Weekly
Sun Worship Service 10a
Sun Adult Bible Class 11:15a
Wed Wesleyan Devotional 10a, 7 p
Wed Open Sanctuary 10-1
Thu Choir Rehearsal 6:30p
BUILDING UP THE POWER HOUSE
Look to the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face always. Psalm 105:4 (NIV)
Please pray with our Church Family for the following individuals, situations, and needs:
Ellen & Sara, JoAnn, People of 9/11
Needing Jesus to step into their lives:
Healing:
Samantha, N M, Shauna, Ann, Patrick, Guapo, Jace, Jason, Cassidy, Ruthie, Patty, Goodwin, Tonya
Families:
Provision:
Jeanne, Tonya
Breakthrough:
Patrick
Safe Travel:
Those traveling
Guidance:
Election 2016, N M, Members of Fitzwilliam Community Church as they seek a new pastor
Community:
Protection:
HOLY HUMOR
Head Hog of the Trough
Fred called a church and asked to speak to the Head Hog of the Trough.
Secretary: How rude! I’ll have you know we would NEVER EVER refer to our pastor as a hog.
Fred: Okay, then just take a message. Tell him I’ve come into a bit of money so I was calling to give your church $10,000.
Secretary: Well hold the phone, dearie! I think I see that big fat pig coming down the hall right now.
Shall We Gather…?
A preacher was completing a temperance sermon.
With great expression he said, “If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river!” The congregation nodded their approval.
With even greater emphasis he added, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river, too!” The people clapped and were saying “Amen.”
And then finally, he concluded, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river!”
As he sat down, the song leader then stood up quite cautiously and announced,
“For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #365:
Shall We Gather at the River.”
CHURCH FAMILY ANNIVERSARIES
James Poplin, 4 years
Susan Staley, 13 years
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN
The United Methodist Women will meet Tuesday, October 4th at 7:00 PM at the church.
Karen Keenan will be presenting the program which is a book report on The Celebration of Discipline. Phyllis Porter will lead devotions.
All women of the church are invited to attend. Please contact Carol Owen, Karen Keenan, or Susan Lindquist for any questions.
TRUSTEES REPORT
It’s heating season again so it’s time for a reminder about our thermostat use (especially as we have already found the classroom set to HOLD and at 85 degrees!).
The thermostats are really quite simple to operate. They are programmed to turn up and to shut back down at regularly scheduled times so normally they should not need to be changed.
But if a meeting or event is taking place at other times you simply need to press the up arrow to increase the temperature.
Do NOT press the “HOLD” button as that overrides the programmed settings and will keep your setting until someone else changes it (this can be days before someone else is there to notice).
When you leave you can press the “RUN” or “RETURN” button (it’s different depending on the the thermostat) but even if you don’t they will automatically reset at the next programmed setting.
The temperature for the classrooms and fellowship hall should only need to be set around 70 degrees and the sanctuary only at 65.
Remember these are large rooms that take time to heat up. And even if you are cold others may be hot and vice versa. The temps have been set based on input from the entire congregation over the last several years.
So… if it is cold just press the “UP” arrow, if it’s hot press the “DOWN” arrow.
Thank you,
Matt Keenan
OPEN MIC NIGHT
Open Mic Night has been a welcoming and warm time for sharing music.
At last month’s event it was decided by the church family members present and our visitors that this format is greatly enjoyed and should be continued.
Please join us on the 3rd Friday for a pleasant evening of music and merriment.
WORDS TO PONDER
“Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)
Mary and Martha could not understand what their Lord was doing. Both of them said to Him, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” Back of it all, we seem to read their thought: “Lord, we do not understand why you have stayed away so long. We do not understand how you could let death come to the man whom you loved. We do not understand how you could let sorrow and suffering ravage our lives when your presence might have stayed it all. Why did you not come? It is too late now, for already he has been dead four days!” And to it all Jesus had but one great truth: “You may not understand; but I tell you if you believe, you will see.”
Abraham could not understand why God should ask the sacrifice of the boy; but he trusted. And he saw the glory of God in his restoration to his love. Moses could not understand why God should keep him forty years in the wilderness, but he trusted; and he saw when God called him to lead forth Israel from bondage.
Joseph could not understand the cruelty of his brethren, the false witness of a perfidious woman, and the long years of an unjust imprisonment; but he trusted, and he saw at last the glory of God in it all. Jacob could not understand the strange providence which permitted the same Joseph to be torn from his father’s love, but he saw the glory of God when he looked into the face of that same Joseph as the viceroy of a great king, and the preserver of his own life and the lives of a great nation.
And so, perhaps in your life. You say, “I do not understand why God let my dear one be taken. I do not understand why affliction has been permitted to smite me. I do not understand the devious paths by which the Lord is leading me. I do not understand why plans and purposes that seemed good to my eyes should be baffled. I do not understand why blessings I so much need are so long delayed.
Friend, you do not have to understand all God’s ways with you. God does not expect you to understand them. You do not expect your child to understand, only believe. Some day you will see the glory of God in the things which you do not understand.
–J. H. McC
“If we could push ajar the gates of life,
And stand within, and all God’s working see,
We might interpret all this doubt and strife,
And for each mystery could find a key.
“But not today. Then be content, poor heart;
God’s plans, like lilies pure and white, unfold.
We must not tear the close-shut leaves apart–
Time will reveal the calyxes of gold.
“And if, through patient toil, we reach the land
Where tired feet, with sandals loosed, may rest,
When we shall clearly know and understand,
I think that we shall say, ‘God knew best.'”
SUNDAY LECTIONARY READINGS OCTOBER
www.prawney.me.uk
OCTOBER 2nd
Lamentations 1:1-6
Psalm 137 (UMH 852)
2 Timothy 1:1-14
Luke 17:5-10
OCTOBER 9th
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
Psalm 66:1-12 (UMH 790)
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Luke 17:11-19
OCTOBER 16th
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Psalm 119:97-104 or
Psalm 19 (UMH 750)
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Luke 18:1-8
OCTOBER 23
Joel 2:23-32
Psalm 65 (UMH 789)
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Luke 18:9-14
OCTOBER 30TH
Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4
Psalm 119:137-144 (UMH 840)
2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12
Luke 19:1-10
NOVEMBER 1st
Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Psalm 149
or Psalm 150(UMH 862)
Ephesians 1:11-23
Luke 6:20-31
CHRISTMAS WREATH SALE
It’s NEVER too soon to think about Christmas! That being said, Priscilla and Ron Crowe are once again willing to head up the annual Christmas wreath sale. This sale helps build the church treasury during a time when the budget is being finalized for the coming year. If you would like to order wreaths for your home, know of friends or business associates who would support this annual sale, or want to gift family with a wreath, the time to order them is now!
Order forms are available at the church, announcements will be made at church service, and order form is available through this newsletter. Please have your form returned to the church by October 10th (or close to that date!). No pre-payment is required. You will pay when you come to pick up your wreath order.
Please see the order form for prices and the particulars on having a bow included with your wreath. If you have questions, you may call the Crowes.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
PEAK INTO PETERBOROUGH
Peak Into Peterborough is Saturday October 15, 2016, 9 am – 4 pm
The missions team will need help in the following areas for the PUMC booth:
• Donations of bags of candy, prizes, or face painting stencils
• Creative people to make pretty posters
• Setup 8-9 am
• Assistance with activities for the children throughout the day, including face painters. You can sign up for a specific time or leave it open for us to fill shifts. We are looking for 12 people in 2 hour shifts
• Big strong pedal-ers to help give the kids rides on the quadricycle. We are looking for 6 people in 1 hour shifts
• Cleanup at 4 pm
A signup sheet will be available in the fellowship hall. You may contact Melissa French or Susan Lindquist if you have any questions.
HUNDRED NIGHTS DINNERS
Many thanks to our church family for helping with October’s Italian Night Dinner! Thank you Barbara and Pete Russo, Karen Dude, Carol Owen, Gladys Bugler, Laura Nerz, Pastor Lena, Sue Poplin, Laura Constantine, Ami Clason-Gilmet, Billi-Jo Ogo, and Melissa French! We are an awesome team! I am feeling so blessed to have such terrific community help too! This month there were four volunteers from our local community that also helped with cooking and serving! Thanks to Erin, Bev, Anna, Lucy ! If you know of anyone who would like to join this important mission, just grab me at fellowship or give me a call at 585-6923.
Blessings!
Susan Lindquist
PUMC BOOK GROUP
The October meeting of the PUMC Book Group will be October 26th at 7 PM. Meetings are held at the church in the fellowship room. Books may be obtained via public library loan, on-line download, or through bookstores (local and on-line).
This month’s book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is a non-fiction read. Rebecca Skloot does a wonderful job of writing a narrative of the case of Henrietta Lacks, a hard-working African-American woman of the 50’s who lost her fight to an incredibly virulent form of cervical cancer. During the course of her treatment, cell samples were taken from her and used to forward cell replication work and to pioneer medical advances in the treatment of various diseases. Later work with this cell line was even more fantastic. Advances in understanding DNA and the human genome, advances in the new field of virology, and much more hinged on working with Henrietta’s cell line.
The HeLa cell line gave Henrietta a form of immortality that continues to this day, however issues arise. This is a story of poverty and wealth, researcher’s parameters vs patient rights, scientific advancement vs medical ethics, and much more. Discussion should be active and interesting this month! Any and all are welcome to read and join!
PUMC WANTS YOU FOR…
We are returning to the traditional UMC calendar year for all leadership positions. As is custom, the Leadership positions will be officially voted on in our church conference on November 17th and will be effective January 1 through Dec 31st, 2017. We are looking for some volunteers to fill in the remainder of this year for some of our committees, with the possibility to continue your role into 2017.
Finance chair
From the Book of Discipline:
“The finance chair works with the leadership team chair, the church staff, and other ministry leaders to fulfill the mission of the church. The finance chair works with the trustees to handle designated gifts and bequests in accordance with The Book of Discipline.
This person will guide the work of the finance team through the year, including planning agendas and presiding at meetings.
This leader will gather all budget requests to be reviewed by the committee, ensure that the congregation and pastor(s) are informed about the church’s financial situation, and recommend to the church council any changes that need to be made in the budget after it has been approved.
This leader is accountable to the charge conference through the church council.”
Worship chair
From the Book of Discipline:
“Know the goals of the congregation in order to support and expand the ministry goals through worship. Learn about worship and the people in your congregation and community so you can develop with others worship opportunities appropriate to the community. The worship team must be sensitive to new worship styles and to congregational traditions.
Coordinate with the pastor and other worship leaders. Support worship by identifying, training and supporting worship leaders such as acolytes, scripture readers, ushers, greeters, artists and others.
Explore resources (United Methodist and other) for worship in order to recommend their use with children, youth and adults.
Promote individual and family worship and opportunities for spiritual formation.
Work with other ministry leaders so that worship celebrates the whole life of the congregation and community.
Encourage a team approach to worship planning led by the pastor.”
Holiday Stroll committee
Help to organize the annual event on Nov 19
2016 HOMECOMING SUNDAY
Homecoming Sunday may have come and gone, but the photos and memories live on! Thanks to everyone who shared their voices in worship song, their delicious food at the potluck luncheon, their creativity in decorating, and their time and muscle in setting things up and taking things down! Particular thanks to Pastor Lena, Jim Poplin, Gladys Bugler, Matt and Karen Keenan, Andy and Linda Wallenstein, Melissa French, Ami Clason Gilmet, Martha Simmons, Phyllis Porter, Richard Clason, Ann Hampson, Hiel Lindquist, Wendy Dunning, Pat Woodard, the children of the PUMC Sunday school, Gene Brochu and the choir, and the players at PUMC Open Mic (who helped set up tables and chairs!). Many hands make for a happy event! Thanks so much for stepping up!
On and end note… someone said it would be terrific if we shared the recipes for those side dish and crockpot offerings. If you have a recipe card, fill in your recipe and sign the card. A bulletin board will be made available for sharing through the month of October!
BEYOND THE GREEN DOORS
Church leaders should not be the only ones contributing to the newsletter! Send me your birthdays, photos, events, testimonials, prayer submissions…
Please submit all materials for the next newsletter (November) to our editors by the last Wednesday of the month, October 26. This is the newsletter that will be released on Sunday October 30 and cover until Sunday December 4. Send to Melissa French, with the subject “Newsletter submission.” Thanks!
PETERBOROUGH UMC COMMUNICATIONS
In addition to “Beyond the Green Doors,” Peterborough UMC offers the following ways you can keep in touch.
We are at the church, silly. Come visit us, Sunday at 10 am!
We are on the web: http://www.PeterboroughUMC.org
We are on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/peterboroughunitedmethodist/
This newsletter was compiled by Melissa French. Any concerns with content can be addressed with Pastor Lena at pastorlena@peterboroughumc.org, or in person.